I was invited to write a guest blog for Anne Wayman of About Freelance Writing and am thrilled that my blog post is live today. Check it out here . It was a pleasure to work with Anne and write this post for her blog. It's all about how I started my online editing business and the unique things that led up to it and the launch of my editing website - editmaster.pro . A big thank you to Anne Wayman for the invitation! Happy Writing!

I have more than one blog. This one is more of my "business" blog where I write about writing and blogging and related topics. One of my other blogs, The Priscilla Principle Blog , is more about my theological take on current events, book reviews and speaking out on things important to me. My blogs don't have very many subscribers. The Priscilla Principle Blog has a total of 8 followers, but I get a decent number of readers each month, which is quite surprising compared to my number of subscribers. As you can see from this snapshot of my stats, I get a lot more than 8 readers on that blog each month. Last month there were 1,100, but I've seen higher numbers. That being said, I don't care. I showed this stat to illustrate that you can have many more views than subscribers. In the blogging world, these are very small numbers. Most professional bloggers see numbers much higher than these. I am small potatoes. But, I don't care. I may look at the ...

Bloggers! STOP right there! Do not publish your next blog post without having it edited ! Over the past few months, I've noticed some blatant errors in some blogs I read. Those errors include: A February blog post from a direct seller which featured and highlighted January's specials. Too many run-on sentences to list. Too many uses of the same adjective: This is a gorgeous set that will add a gorgeous touch to your already gorgeous home. That and that and that and that and that.....using that too many times. "That" can be eliminated 99% of the time. A sentence like this: "You could of used one of these organizers..." which should read,  "You could have used one of these organizers..."  The list could go on, but you get the idea. Don't let this happen to your blog or newsletter! Hire an editor before publishing that next blog post or sending your next newsletter. Fiverr is a great place to start. W...

I blog. I blog about essential oils . I blog about creativity and photography . I blog about theology and what the Bible says about life and current events.                                                                             I blog about homemaking, getting and staying organized , and show how I organize things. I blog about cooking  (although not very often).  This morning, my husband called from work, as he usually does, and as we were talking I said, in a rather apologetic way, that I'd started yet another blog, my 6th ( My Oily Pursuits ). Instead of saying something like "Another?" he said, "Of course! You're a writer!" Total encouragement. Do you blog? Do you have more than one blog?  I think every writer needs to have a blog an...

Tomorrow morning I'm teaching a blogging workshop to a group of direct sellers. I'm excited about this opportunity and look forward to the interaction with other bloggers. Every time I teach a blogging workshop, I learn so very much. In an effort to stay current and practice what I preach, I do research for each and every workshop. And I learn from that research. Are you still learning while blogging? I don't see how one can blog without learning more about blogging. So, learn, teach, blog and grow as a blogger. ~Tricia

What's everybody doing? Blogging! Blogging is not just for beginners. The most famous authors have found the need to blog. Why blog? Blogging lets us connect with our readers on a more personal level. Blogging opens the doors to interaction with our readers because they can comment on blog posts. Blogging opens new marketing opportunities. Blogging is an additional creative outlet. Blogging allows us to reach a new audience. Blogging makes us reachable. Blogging keeps us relevant. And more! Are you blogging? ~Tricia

Lately, I've noticed something I'm not super happy about on a few blogs I've been reading. Their links. Some links in some blogs have issues. I'm giving you two things to clear up these issues and I guarantee this will improve your blog for your readers and improve your readability and increase your reader numbers. Two Ways to Link Successfully in a Blog: When you link something in your blog, make sure it opens in a new window . It takes one second to click the box that opens links in a new window. As a blog reader, I get frustrated when I have to leave the current blog to click the blogger's links. Keep people on you page: have links open in a new window every single time. Use working links only! It's highly frustrating to click on a link in a blog only to get an error page. It really makes us look like we don't know what we're talking about. Using working links gives you validity and evokes your readers' confidence in you. There. Now you...

This morning, I stumbled upon this blog post from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. It's a few years old, but still very relevant to any and all bloggers. If you want to blog successfully, learn from successful bloggers. Happy Blogging! ~Tricia

Are you interested in people reading your blog? I read a few blogs on a regular basis. I also try to branch out and explore new blogs so as not to limit myself or allow myself to get into a box with my writing. In exploring a few blogs recently, I've come across a few things that really turned me away from these blogs. I wanted to share them with you so you could analyze your own blog and see if it's reader-friendly. The top 3 things that turned me away from other blogs in the last month: 1. Music . I have clicked into more than one blog in the past month that immediately starts blaring music. I find this extremely annoying for a number of reasons. #1, I often work on my computer during our school hours, so my kids are studying at the same table where I'm studying. Music starting unexpectedly is disruptive. #2, I often play my own music when I'm working on my computer. During non-school hours, I like to have my own playlist going and find blog music too intrusive...

I know a great number of bloggers whose blogs just aren't getting a lot of traffic. I have discovered it's not a problem with the writing, it's the marketing. Some bloggers have great content, only to go largely undiscovered because the authors are not good at marketing. Marketing is hard for most bloggers; we are writers, not marketers. This article from Uncommon Designs gives five tips for marketing your blog and/or website. I've used several of these tips and will continue. Having five blogs is a challenge, but I'm determined to market them as well as I write them. You can, too! Don't be afraid to put your writing out there. You never know when you will impact someone you never expected to impact. Happy Blogging! Happy New Year! ~Tricia

How many blogs do you have? I recently met a writer who has none....she was afraid to start blogging. I've read about many bloggers who have multiple blogs and they maintain them all. I, personally, have five blogs. I just started my latest one today. Organized and Ongoing is my blog about daily life and getting a new home settled and organized while raising teenagers, home schooling and managing my free-lance writing endeavors. Organizing is one of my favorite activities, so this blog was a given, sooner or later. There's this blog, of course, as well as my theology blog, Tuesday Theology . I started Tuesday Theology because, as a pastor's wife of 30 years, I have met a lot of people who seem to have a hard time taking their theology with them throughout the week. Tuesday is a random day in the middle of the week and it's been a passion of mine to help people live out their theology, even on Tuesday. Create with Tricia is a creative place where I share my crea...

It is no secret that blogging helps sell books. Even the most prolific authors of our day have blogs, including  Amanda Hocking ,  Danielle Steele , Stephenie Meyer and many others. I recently met a young woman who said she was a writer. Immediately, I asked her for her blog address and she said she did not have a blog. It turned out she was afraid to blog because she was afraid of criticism. She was afraid that someone might read the blog, disagree with her about something, then criticize. I tried to tell her that she can control all comments on her blog and that if someone posts a negative comment, she can simply remove it. But, the idea of being criticized was too much for her and she shrugged it off. I felt bad for her and encouraged her to think about blogging, even if it's just about a hobby she has. Blogging is becoming necessary to writing success. It's a fearful thing even for some established authors, but, most take the plunge and are always so very glad they ...

I read a few blogs every week, as I'm sure you all do. Reading others' blogs is a great way to learn, not only what they're blogging about, but also what does and does not work in the "blogosphere." I want to point out three things that cause me to stop reading a person's blog. Everyone is busy; time is at a premium. Here are three practical ways to respect your readers' time.  These three things make me click off a blog, even in the midst of reading: 1. Poor grammar. I simply can't get past poor grammar. I'm not talking about the occasional typo; I'm talking about the abuse of the English language I see on some blogs. I click off and usually don't go back. 2. Music. I usually play my own music, or need a quiet room for my kids. When I open a blog post and music starts playing immediately, I click off.  3. Links that don't open in a new window. Bloggers, set your links to open in a new window so your readers won...

Did you know that even established authors are e-publishing? They blog. They publish e-books. They vlog. They are smart to do so. I wanted to share a few observations about e-publishing and how it can impact your writing. * E-Publishing puts the decision to read what you write into the hands of the public.  No longer do writers have to depend on a publisher to get their writing out there. The public gets to decide. Famed author Amanda Hocking is a good example of this. She sat in my writing class and showed us her countless rejection letters. No one would publish her writings. So, she took to e-publishing and more than 2 million people said yes to her writings by downloading her e-books! THEN the publishing houses started paying attention to Amanda Hocking and now she has both book and movie deals. The public decided. * E-Publishing lets an author earn credibility while giving their name more exposure. Ree Drummand, The Pioneer Woman , started her blog to share a dr...

If you take a look at this article by Nina Amir, you might think I'm guilty of plagiarism even by the title of this blog post. In the article, titled Blog an eBook So You'll Get Read As You Write , Nina quotes a speaker from the New Media Expo as saying just that...."Every blogger is a published author." This is not new information to me. I have been telling my writing students this for several years now. Publishing is easier today than ever before. I tell my students that if they've so much as written a Facebook status update, they have published. Their update might be read more than a long article in the New York Times. Smart writers have learned to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogging and other social media outlets to advance their writing, their product or service and generate not only business, but a following. If you are not blogging, what are you waiting for? It's easy, quick and can have a huge positive impact on your writing. ~Tricia

I read a few blogs regularly and those blogs often introduce me to new blogs. Today, a Facebook post led me to a fashion blog and it looked interesting and informative enough to click on. Fashion is important, to a point - the point where I don't go around looking like an idiot or dressing too young, etc. That can be challenging, though, since clothes in the junior department fit me best. It's not always convenient to be short. The fashion blog held a lot of useful information, but this young blogger desperately needs an editor. We can certainly look past a few typos, but this gal had no clue how to use the English language. She needs an editor. We all need an editor. I can't tell you how many times I've written a blog post, reread it several times, posted it, then came back and found typos or other errors! It happens to everyone. I'm not just irritated at poor, unedited writing. I'm also frustrated for the writer because, in the long run, it will affect ...

Lately as I've done a little blog hopping, I noticed a few things about some blogs that appeal to me and I noticed a few things that didn't appeal to me.  I've condensed my observations into five different tips which might improve your own blogging performance: 1. Be concise. Most people do not want to read a long, drawn-out story in a blog.  Blog readers are mostly looking for concise information they can gather quickly. 2. Use good grammar. This may seem obvious, but you might be surprised at how many people do not edit their blog posts before publishing. 3. Set links open in a new tab. It personally frustrates me when I click on a link in a blog and it takes me off the current page. 4. Do not have music playing on your blog.  I often have my own music going when I'm working on my computer, so random blog music annoys me. My response is generally to click off that blog immediately. 5. Use pictures.  Pictures are a great way to break up paragraphs, give a...

Writer, are you blogging?  Blogging is vital to your writing success.  Here's why: 1. Blogging gives you credibility.  Potential readers, publishers and agents can go to your blog and easily see your style, talent and passion. 2. Blogging gives your experience.  The more writing you do, the better you become at being a writer. 3. Blogging gives you an online presence.  Having an online presence is becoming more and more important as the internet evolves. A blog is an easy way to have and maintain an online presence. 4. Blogging gives you a voice.  Most writers I know have a lot to say and blogging is a great way to have your say, no matter what you do for a living. These four reasons are only a brief start, off the top of my head for today.  Blogging is essential to your writing success.  If you do not have a blog already, start one today!  They are free and easy and will give you instant access to a wide audience of new readers! ~Tr...

Here are five simple blogging rules that I follow: 1. No music.  I don't have music playing on my blogs because whenever I visit a blog which plays music, I become agitated and usually click off immediately. This is because I'm usually playing music of my own when online and someone else's music interferes.  If you insist on having music on your blog, make it optional by installing a music button. Make sure your music button is easy to find and at the top of the page for quick access. 2. Have a front page profile picture.  You can have another picture or two on another page if you have an "about" page, but a head shot of some sort on your front page is a must.  Whenever I visit a blog, one of the first things I look for is a profile picture of the blog writer. I want to see who I'm reading! 3. Have a short front page bio .  Just a few lines about yourself will do.  Just like a profile pic, a short bio is another of the first things I look for when I ...

I have a news flash for you writers out there.  The world is not automatically interested in your writing.  I know, I know, how can they not be?  But, it's true.  Any and all interest has to be generated - by YOU!  You are passionate about your writing.  Your family might be interested.  Your friends might show an interest for a while. But, you hold the passion, which becomes the key to getting published.  Generating interest in your writing is up to you.  Tips to generate interest: Keep your passion strong.  The best way to keep your passion strong is to keep writing. Talk it up.  Talk about what you've written to family, friends, colleagues, etc. Your passion will come through as you talk it up.  Most of us talk about what we are passionate about. Our writing is no exception to that truth. Write often.  Blog often. Keep your writings out there, as fresh and new as you possibly can. Link. Link. Link.  Every time...